Nurses Who Write: Interview with Jennifer L. W. Fink

Episode 1: Interview with nurse author Jennifer L.W. Fink

Episode title: RN2writer Interviews Nurse Author Jennifer L.W. Fink BSN RN

Nurses who want to become freelance writers will enjoy this interview with successful freelance nurse writer and author Jennifer L.W. Fink BSN RN of Building Boys and the ON BOYS parenting podcast, who shares tips and strategies from her own career to help aspiring nurse writers find success. Whether you are an RN, LPN, LVN, NP, APRN or another type of licensed clinician who wants to learn how to become a professional writer, you’ll find great takeaways here!

Episode Summary

Several years into her nursing career, Jennifer L.W. Fink found herself unenthused about the clinical pathways available to her. As she contemplated her future, she stumbled across a book on how to become a freelance writer – and it was authored by a nurse. That book changed the trajectory of Jennifer’s career, leading her to success as a nurse writer, author, and leading expert on parenting boys. In this episode, Jennifer shares lots of meaty tips and strategies for nurses just beginning their journey as a freelance writer.

Jennifer L.W. Fink BSN RN is a Registered Nurse-turned-writer. She’s the creator of BuildingBoys.net, co-host of the ON BOYS parenting podcast and author of The First-Time Mom’s Guide to Raising Boys. Jennifer has been published by The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Post, FOX News, Parents, Cancer Today and Medscape.

Host Elizabeth Hanes BSN RN built a six-figure writing business in her spare time. Today, she coaches other nurses how to become freelance writers through the RN2writer project.

Topics discussed in this episode

Here’s a sampling of what you can learn in this episode:

We know people respect nurses, but do they also respect writers? [08:01]
Why it’s a smart business strategy to pitch articles based on your personal health issues [11:15]
The value of the insider knowledge nurses bring to the table as writers [14:42]
How starting a writing business on the side and gradually transitioning out of nursing worked for Jennifer [15:07]
Why your educational level and nursing credentials don’t really matter in writing [16:18]
Do the initials after your name really matter, as a writer? [18:00]
Why Jennifer opted not to include “BSN RN” on her book cover [19:29]
Why nurses excel as interviewers, which a valuable commodity as a writer [33:45]
The financial realities of freelance writing: Can you really make a living at it? [36:40]

Quotable

“As much as people respect nurses – and we all know that nursing still ranks up there super-high for trust and honesty – people respect writers, too. People think writing is a pretty cool gig.” – Jennifer L.W. Fink BSN RN

“As things would come up in my professional life and personal life, I would try to pitch them as ideas. [This way] I could turn [these health issues] into a professional accomplishment AND a paycheck.” – Jennifer L.W. Fink BSN RN

“The truth is that writing is one of the few careers with a very low barrier to entry. You don’t need a degree in anything – nobody’s checking.” – Jennifer L.W. Fink BSN RN

“[I want your listeners to] realize that – at this moment – you are listening to two of us who have DONE this! It’s so doable! There is nothing extraordinary about me as a nurse or as a human being that made this more of a possibility for me than for any other person.” – Jennifer L.W. Fink BSN RN


Resources mentioned in this episode

The First-Time Mom’s Guide to Raising Boys, by Jennifer L.W. Fink

ON BOYS parenting podcast

BuildingBoys.net

RN2writer.com


Next steps

Download and listen to the podcast of this episode at RN2writer
Start your journey from nursing to writing with the ebook Design Your Dream Career as a Nurse Writer
Follow RN2writer on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn